Residential battery scheme
Brief ministerial statement
Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson (Morley—Minister for Energy and Decarbonisation) (1:06 pm): I rise to update the house on the Western Australian residential battery scheme. The Cook Labor government is committed to making energy more affordable for households throughout the state. Right now, nearly 40% of Western Australian households have rooftop solar panels, which is one of the highest uptake rates in the world. We want to leverage that capacity to strengthen the grid and deliver more secure, reliable and affordable renewable energy. That is why we are delivering on our $337 million election commitment to provide household battery rebates of up to $5,000 for Synergy customers and $7,500 for Horizon customers.
Our commitment was originally limited to 20,000 households; however, by partnering with the Albanese government, we have supercharged the scheme to ensure that nearly five times as many households will benefit. The scheme is on track to go live by 1 July, and households will be able to apply through one seamless application process. Up to 100,000 households across WA are expected to benefit from the scheme, creating a sustainable pipeline of work for industry and making a direct contribution to WA's clean energy future.
The Smart Energy Council endorsed our approach as a step towards a smarter, fairer and cleaner energy system for Western Australia and stated that the scheme would unlock huge opportunities for households, manufacturers and installers. As part of the scheme, the Cook Labor government will also provide no-interest loans of up to $10,000 to assist households with less than $210,000 of combined income to manage the cost of installing a battery system. Around 80% of households will qualify for this loan, ensuring families across the state can access more affordable and renewable energy. Virtual power plants will play an important role in the scheme, helping to bolster energy security and decarbonisation across the state, while delivering financial benefits for households. This will fast-track households to cleaner and more affordable energy.
The WA residential battery scheme has been built from the ground up. We have taken the time to integrate the scheme with federal initiatives and ensure that the rebate will support as many Western Australians as possible. Our approach will set up the industry for years to come, secure WA's clean energy future and deliver affordable energy for tens of thousands of low- and middle-income families across the state.
